Wiring system and connector therefor

ABSTRACT

A wiring system that allows easy installation into a vehicle and includes a connector that allows functional signals to perform a function in a connector while passing through the connector.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser.No. 11/872,207, filed Oct. 15, 2007 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,690,950, whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/884,368,filed Jan. 10, 2007, which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

This invention is related to wiring harness assemblies and, inparticular, wiring connectors having opposing terminals that allow powerto pass from one end of the connector assembly to the other end.

2. Related Art

Many vehicles, industrial applications, and commercial applications usea variety of wiring harnesses. These wiring harnesses are not only laborintensive to install, but are typically specialized for a specificapplication. As wiring harnesses are specialized for specificapplications, each wiring harness design is typically different, makingit difficult to create a uniform wiring harness, even for poweringtraditional applications such as the lighting system of a vehicle. Forexample, each vehicle may have different lighting locations, differentdistances between lighting locations, as well as different routes alongwhich the wiring assemblies must run thereby varying lengths of thewiring assembly as well as distances between terminals in the wiringassembly. Traditionally, each terminal connected to the wiring assemblyneeded to be spliced and then taped or epoxied into the wiring. Giventhe different locations, such as different locations between models ofvehicles, and the numerous numbers of splices followed by taping orepoxy at different locations on different wiring assemblies, it has beendifficult, if not impossible, to automate the assembly of wiringharnesses. Therefore, traditionally the assembly of wiring harnesses andthe later installation of wiring harnesses into vehicles has beenextremely labor intensive.

In assembling a vehicle, generally a main wiring harness is assembledfrom which various smaller wiring harnesses run various items thatreceive electrical power, provide feedback, or control relays ordevices. The wiring harness when installed is substantially complete dueto the necessity of prior splicing and taping or using shrink tube orepoxy to seal out moisture. Substantially complete wiring assemblies mayinclude numerous legs to extend in different directions, making themdifficult to assemble into the vehicle.

Modern vehicles have a multitude of electrical items which provide powerto the wiring harness, receive electrical power from the wiring harness,control devices along the wiring harness, or provide feedback regardingvarious vehicle operating parameters. As manufacturers increasingly addnew electronic devices and controls to vehicles, including everythingfrom navigational systems to cooling fans in seats and from smart cruisecontrols to back-up alarm systems, the associated wiring harnesses forvehicles have become more complex. Therefore, the assembly time requiredfor manufacturing the wiring harness of a vehicle as well as installingthe wiring harness in a vehicle has substantially increased. Exemplaryvehicles that are continually adding electrical components and functionsas well as various additional controls including automobiles, airplanes,boats, trucks, and other forms of vehicles, as well as industrial andcommercial equipment. For example, many vehicles used in agricultural,construction, earth moving, and mining have added GPS navigationalsystems which can even provide an autopilot function or be controlled byexternal software. Many stationary industrial and commercial machinesare increasingly complex and have added numerous wiring harnesses ascontrol systems have become more complex and provide more feedback andmonitoring options. Therefore, the assembly required for almost anyapplication having a wiring harness has become increasingly complex andrequires additional assembly and installation time. As an example of anapplication in which wiring harnesses have become more complex invehicles, and in particular automobiles, is a taillight and the variousassociated functions including turn, brake, tail, reverse, and sidelight functions. Traditionally, a few wires ran from the fuse panelindividually to each taillight. As the price of copper and othermaterials used in wiring assemblies steadily increased, manufacturerslooked to reduce costs by joining functions along the wiring assembly.Furthermore, wiring each functional device to its associated control andpower device individually within the automobile caused a very laborintensive assembly process of the automobile. Therefore, wiringharnesses were used to simplify the wiring of the vehicle and minimizeassembly time by bundling many wires. Originally wiring harnesses werefairly simple with a couple splices and were easy to assembly andinstall. However, as additional electrical equipment and controls havecontinually been added to the number of wires and wiring splices hassignificantly increased, thereby increasing the labor in manufacturingthe wiring harness, the material used to create the wiring harness, andthe installation time.

Therefore, there is a need for a wiring harness including new wiringharness connectors that reduce assembly time and the materials used inthe manufacturing of wiring harnesses. There is also a need for a wiringharness that includes less splices and is easy to assemble throughautomated methods and has increased reliability. Furthermore, there is aneed for a wiring harness assembly that allows for standard componentsto be used in a particular vehicle or application and thereby reducescost in designing and assembling the wiring harness.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above, the present invention is directed to a wiringsystem including a harness assembly and connectors of the wiring harnessassembly that increase the ease of assembly and reliability whilereducing the material and labor cost to assemble the wiring harness.

The present invention uses connectors that minimize the number ofsplices required for the wiring harness assembly, and thereby reduce theamount of material used to assemble the wiring harness, such as tape,shrink tubing, epoxy, epoxy filled shrink tubing, and copper. Theconnectors also minimize installation labor costs by allowing easierassembly and automation of the assembly process. Furthermore, plugconnectors allow easier assembly through standard components.

The wiring harness includes at least one of two connectors developed tosimplify wiring harnesses. The first connector is a junction socketconnector. The junction socket connector allows easy assembly of twoconnectors by providing a traditional plug between two portions of thewiring harness. The junction connector, instead of being a terminal endto the wiring as most bulb sockets are, allows certain functional wiresincluding at least a common or ground wire to pass through the body ofthe connector. Instead of splicing, for example a light socket into thewiring harness, the junction connector allows a plug and play systemduring assembly with the necessary wires passing through the body of thejunction connector, thereby eliminating most wiring splices. All wiresmay pass through the junction connector or some of the wires mayterminate within the junction connector. The second connector isgenerally a pass-through connector, designed similar to the junctionconnector, but without the plug option. The pass-through connector hascable or wire seals on each side of the connector but no plug as in thejunction connector.

Each of the connectors allows an electrical item to easily act as afunctional item as well as an electrical conduit to other electricalitems. Therefore, the number of splices and assembly time and materialsrequired to produce the wiring assembly is reduced. These connectorsalso allow the wiring assembly for most vehicles and other applicationsto be broken into component parts allowing assembly of much more complexwiring assemblies with minimal customization. Therefore an assembler maychoose wiring harnesses having standardized length and standardizednumber of wires to plug the standard connectors thereby eliminatingalmost all of the splicing in assembling the wiring harness.

A connector constructed in accordance with one aspect of the inventionincludes a body providing a socket and a first and second cable sealarea. Further, a functional electrical assembly is configured to fitwithin the socket. A first pin and second pin extend from the firstcable seal area to the second cable seal area and, the first and secondpins are in electrical communication with the functional electricalassembly.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a wiring system isprovided. The wiring system includes at least one junction connectorhaving a body providing a plug; a socket for receiving a functionalelectrical assembly, and at least one cable outlet. A plurality of pinsextend from the plug to the at least one cable outlet, wherein at leastone of the plurality of pins is in electrical communication with thefunctional electrical assembly.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, a wiring systemincludes at least one pass-through connector having a body with a firstcable seal area having at least three cavities configured to receivewires and a socket for receiving a functional electrical assembly. Afirst pin extends from a first cavity selected from the at least threecavities through the body and to a second cavity selected from the atleast three cavities, and wherein the first pin is in electricalcommunication with the functional electrical assembly. A second pinextends from a third cavity selected from the at least three cavitiesand to the functional electrical assembly and wherein the first pin is aground pin and the second pin is in electrical communication with thefunctional electrical assembly and communicates a functional signal.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, claims, and drawings.However, it should be understood that the detailed description andspecific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of theinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given here below, the appended claims, and theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary perspective view of a wiring assembly for arear automotive vehicle light;

FIG. 1 a shows a schematic view of the wiring assembly in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of a junction socketconnector;

FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of a junction socket connector;

FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of a pass-through connector;

FIG. 5 shows a cut away view of a portion of a socket connector;

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary socket connector;

FIG. 7 shows a partial cut away view of a socket connector;

FIG. 8 shows a partial sectional view of a junction socket connector;and

FIG. 9 shows a wiring system having a combined pass-through and junctionsocket connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The wiring system 100 is illustrated in FIG. 1 as including connectors 2coupled to various wires 30. Although any type of electrical functionmay be performed by a connector 2, the present invention will bedescribed as being used in a rear lighting system of an automotivevehicle with the connectors 2 including sockets 4 to receive lightbulbs. However, the connectors 2 may be used for other exemplaryfunctions such as plugging in other electrical components in a vehiclefrom sound system components lighting, junctions, or any otherelectrical component plugged into another electrical component. Also, asone skilled in the art will recognize, while the present invention isillustrated as receiving a traditional light bulb fit within a socket,other types of light bulbs may be used, including LED bulbs.

The connectors 2 are illustrated in FIG. 1 as having one of three stylesof connectors. The present invention is primarily directed to thepass-through connectors 10, junction connectors 20 that pass throughwires, and wiring systems 100 including pass-through connectors 10and/or junction connectors 20. The other type of connector 2, asillustrated in FIG. 1, includes a junction terminal 102 which is similarto any other existing terminal. The junction terminal 102 is a wiringterminal that terminates the electrical function as does not passthrough the wires. In each connector 2, the wires 30 are generallysealed to the connectors 2 with cable seals 6. The cable seal 6 may beformed by any known method which may include, for example, using epoxyor other sealants. The wiring system illustrated in FIG. 1 is generallydirected to a subset of the main wiring assembly (not illustrated)wherein the junction socket connector 20 allows easy connection to themain wiring harness. A wiring assembly for a vehicle may includenumerous junction socket connectors 20. However, one skilled in the artwould easily recognize that the wiring assembly 100 may be formedwithout the junction socket connector 20 and instead formed with thepass-through connectors 10 as well as the terminal connector 102 or withjust pass-through connectors 10.

The junction socket connector 20 generally includes a main body 26having a plug interface 22, a function interface 24, and a wire outletor cable seal 6. The inner components of the junction socket connector20 may vary, but generally include junction terminals 21. The junctionterminals 21 have at least one end for providing an electricalconnection in a plug and are generally the male or female portions of anelectrical plug, which may vary in size, shape, and configuration. Thejunction terminals 20 are generally configured to allow easy interfacewith an opposing plug (not illustrated). The junction terminals 21 areillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 as a male pin and as further illustrated inFIG. 3, they also act as pass-through pins 16. The junction socket 20includes junction terminals 21 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The junctionterminals may connect to the wires 30 with the exemplary wire interface50 illustrated in FIG. 2.

The function interface 24 may have any size, shape, or configuration,which may depend on the desired function. In the embodiment illustratedin the figures, for a rear taillight assembly, the function interface 24is a cavity for receiving and retaining a socket assembly 5 for a lightbulb (not illustrated). As further illustrated in FIG. 2, the socket 4is defined by a socket assembly 5. The socket assembly 5 may be formedin any shape or configuration to fit a variety of bulbs, however, inFIG. 2 is illustrated as having a base portion 40 that interfaces withthe body of the connectors 2, specifically the function interface 24.The base portion 40 may hold specific bulb retainers 42 and in someembodiments specific connector elements 44. The bulb retainers 42 mayfurther include pass-through supports 46 which may also interface andallow easy assembly to the connector elements 44. More specifically, asillustrated in FIG. 2, the connector elements 44 include a cavity 48which fit around the pass-through supports 46 while interfacing with thepass-through pins 16 which, as illustrated in FIG. 2, also form thejunction terminals 21. An exemplary sample of the junction socket 20 inthe assembled position showing the interface of the pass-through pins 16with the connector elements 44 is further illustrated in FIG. 3. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, at least one of the pass-through pins 16 acts asa function carrying pin 16′ while the remaining pin identified as 16″performs only a pass-through function and does not operate any of thefunctional elements of the junction socket 20. The retainers 44 areillustrated as being both connected to a functional pin 16′ and theground wire 38 would be connected to the bulb through the ground pin(not illustrated) which in turn would connect (not illustrated) throughthe bulb retainer 42, however any method of creating an electricalcircuit including one retainer attached to a functional pin 16′ and theother attached to a ground pin could be used. The plug 22 may be formedin any desired shape with any number of desired junction terminals 21while the junction socket 20 may also allow any number of pass-throughpins 16 to pass through the body of the junction socket 20. The plug 22may also include various interlock devices such as the illustrated hook28 in FIG. 3 to enhance the connection to other wiring assemblies. Theplug 22 may also include seals to prevent water and other contaminantsfrom disrupting or interfering with the electrical connection betweenthe plug 22 and the main connector (not illustrated) on the other wiringharness. To connect the wires 30 to the pass-through pins 16 which alsoact as the junction terminals 21, the wires 30 may be crimped, welded,soldered, epoxied or joined by any other means used to join twoelectrically conductive items between the wires 30 and the pass-throughpins 16. Alternative embodiments for the junction connector areillustrated in FIGS. 6-8.

The socket connector 5 and more specifically the connector elements 44which interface both with the bulb (not shown) and the bulb retainers 42may be made in any desired shape. The number of functional wires used bythe junction connector 20 may vary depending on the application.

The wiring assembly 100 includes at least one pass-through connector 10.Exemplary pass-through connectors 10 are illustrated in FIG. 1 andschematically illustrated along with the junction connector 20 in FIG.1A. The exemplary embodiments of the first pass-through connector 10′and a second pass-through connector 10″ are also illustrated in FIGS. 1and 1A.

The pass-through connectors 10 are illustrated as having two cable sealareas 6 for receiving the wires 30 and sealing the wires to the body 14of the pass-through connectors 10 as well as a functional interface 24.However, configurations having one or more cable seals may be used. Forexample, in some embodiments it may be desirable to pass thepass-through wires out the same side they entered, and therefore, onlyone cable seal area is needed. Another example of a pass-throughconnector having only one-cable seal is where the pass-throughconnectors is used as a end terminal on the wiring harness, with noexiting wires, and the cavities 9 on the cable seals 6 being epoxied toseal out water. This method allows use of standard connectors throughoutthe wiring harness assembly and limits the number of elements used inthe assembly process. In other embodiments, such as in tight areas,areas where wires need to make a sharp bend, which may detract fromlongevity, or where functional wires need to be split into twodirections, the connectors 10 may include two cable seals at variousangles (other than the illustrated in line cable seals 6 positioned at180 degrees relative to each other) or more than two cable seals 6. Inthese embodiments, the pass-through connector 10 includes at least onepin 16 that passes from cable seal area 6 to the other cable seal area6, as illustrated in FIG. 1, or instead back to the same cable seal toexit a different cavity 9 or may split into two parts, such that the pinincludes at least three ends, with each end going to a different cavityon the cable seals or even each end extending to different cable seals.Such a connector 10 is useful when wires need to go to multiple placesby providing in one connector the pass-through function, the functionalelectrical operation and the splicing of the wires. If the pass-throughconnector 10 if formed with only one cable seal area 6 as describedabove, the pass-through pin 16 will typically have a U-shape or similar(not illustrated) with the wire 30 that passes through the pass-throughconnector coming out the same side as it entered, but entering andexiting in different cavities 9. The configurations of the pass-throughpin 16, although not illustrated other than as a straight pass-throughpin, are limitless and can include L-shapes to allow the wire 30 to exitfrom an adjacent side (not illustrated) or at any other desired angle.For example, in some connectors, the wires may enter the back side, andthen exit all four adjacent sides, with the opposing side having thefunctional interface 24.

An exemplary pass-through pin 16 is illustrated in the sectional view ofFIG. 4. A receptacle terminal 12 where the wires connect through thepass-through pin 16 is also illustrated. As with the junction connector20, the pass-through connectors 10 include socket assemblies 5 definingsockets 4. The socket assemblies 5 also include the base portion 40 andbulb retainer 42 and connector elements 44. The connector elements 44when assembled as part of the socket assembly 5 may be spring loadedsuch that they engage the pass-through pins 16 to provide an electricalconnection without solder.

The pass-through connectors 10 may be formed in a variety ofconfigurations as illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 1A schematically. Thefirst pass-through connector 10′ is illustrated as receiving twofunction wires and a ground wire with only the ground wire 38 passingthrough the pass-through connector 10′ while the other function wires 32and 34 terminate within the pass-through connector 10′. The firstpass-through connector 10′ is illustrated as a socket for a bulb havingboth brake light and tail light functions such that when the lights areon for the vehicle, the tail function wire provides power to light thetail function and when the brakes are depressed the brake wire providespower to also light up the brake function. For example, the tailfunction may be provided by functional wire 34 while the brake functionmay be provided by functional wire 32. If there are no additional tailor brake functional elements located down stream from the firstpass-through connector 10′, these would terminate as illustrated asFIGS. 1 and 1A, with only the ground wire 38 passing through to the nextfunctional pass-through connector or terminal connector 102. If thesetail or brake functions are used by other connectors they could easilypass through the pass-through connector 10. While the cable seal 6 isillustrated as having an empty socket, other cable seals configured to aspecific embodiment with only the set number of electrical outlets maybe used, however it is believed that providing standard connections thatare the sealed with epoxy and include no outlet wire will allow forreduced manufacturing costs.

While the pass-through connectors 10 may pass through as many wires asdesired, in some instances and to reduce the number of styles orpass-through connectors used in assemblies, it may be desirable to passsome of the function and/or ground wires around some of the pass-throughconnectors. In the exemplary wiring assembly illustrated in FIG. 1 andschematically in FIG. 1A the second pass-through connector 10″ receivesfunctional wires 36 and 37 from the junction connector 20 which do notpass-through the first pass-through connector 10′. However, the secondpass-through connector 10″ does receive the ground wire 38 from thefirst pass-through connector 10′. The second pass-through connector 10″may be used for any function, however, in the exemplary embodimentillustrated in FIG. 1 the second pass-through connector 10″ is used as aturn signal. The second pass-through connector 10″ and the functionalwire 36 provide the turn signal function and, as no further turn signalfunctions are needed downstream, the turn signal functional wire 36terminates in the pass-through connector. The second pass-through wire37 passes through unaffected and does not interact with the socketassembly 5 and more specifically does not provide any functions to thesecond pass-through connector 10″ and is electrically insulated or notin electrical contact with any items in the second pass-throughconnector 10″ except for that the wires connect to wires 30 on each sideof the pass-through pin 16. The ground wire 38 also passes through thesecond pass-through connector 10″ and does interact with the socketassembly 5 to provide the ground function for the second pass-throughconnector 10″. The function wire 37 and ground wire 38 further continueinto the terminal connector 102. Of course it should be recognized thatthe wires 30 may terminate at one of the pass-through connectors 10 andno terminal connector needs to be used. However, in the exemplary wiringassembly 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 and schematically in FIG. 1A, aterminal connection 102 provides a side marker light function. The sidemarker light 102 receives the functional wire 37 and ground wire 38 toperform its function.

As further illustrated in FIG. 9, a pass-through connector 10 may becombined with a junction connector 20. By allowing the junctionconnector and the pass-through connector to be combined, easy splittingof the wiring assembly may be performed thereby reducing the number ofwire splices and assembly time. Pins may be used in addition to stillprovide the pass-through function to the junction connector.

The foregoing discussion discloses and describes an exemplary embodimentof the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognizefrom such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims thatvarious changes, modifications and variations can be made thereinwithout departing from the true spirit and fair scope of the inventionas defined by the following claims.

1. A connector comprising: a body defining a socket and a first cableseal area exiting one portion of said socket and second cable seal areaexiting another portion of said socket separate from said first cableseal area; a functional electrical assembly configured to fit withinsaid socket a first pin extending from said first cable seal area tosaid second cable seal area; a second pin separate from said first pin,said second pin extending from said first cable seal area to said secondcable seal area; a third pin separate from said first and second pins,said third pin extending from said first cable seal area to said secondseal area; and wherein said first and second pins are in electricalcommunication with said functional electrical assembly and said thirdpin remains out of electrical communication with said functionalelectrical assembly.
 2. The connector of claim 1 wherein said functionalelectrical assembly includes a bulb retainer and at least one retainer,said retainer being in electrical communication with at least one ofsaid first and second pins.
 3. The connector of claim 1 wherein saidfirst cable seal area is opposite said second cable seal area.
 4. Theconnector of claim 1 wherein said first cable seal area is adjacent saidsecond cable seal area.
 5. The connector of claim 1 wherein at least oneof said first and second cable seal areas is a plug assembly and whereinsaid first and second pins each include an end forming a junctionterminal situated within said plug assembly.
 6. A connector comprising:a body defining a socket and a first and second cable seal area; afunctional electrical assembly configured to fit within said socket afirst pin and second pin extending from said first cable seal area tosaid second cable seal area; and wherein said first and second pins arein electrical communication with said functional electrical assembly andwherein said first pin includes at least three ends, said first endbeing disposed in a cavity on said first cable seal area and said secondend being disposed in a cavity on said second cable seal area andwherein said connector further includes a third cable seal area and saidthird end is disposed within a cavity on said third cable seal area. 7.The connector of claim 6 wherein said second pin terminates within saidfunctional electrical assembly.
 8. A wiring system comprising: at leastone junction connector having a body defining a plug, a socket forreceiving a functional electrical assembly and at least one cableoutlet; and a plurality of pins extending from said plug to said atleast one cable outlet, and wherein at least one of said plurality ofpins is in electrical communication with said functional electricalassembly and another of said plurality of pins remains out of electricalcommunication with said functional electrical assembly.
 9. The wiringsystem of claim 8 further including a pin extending from said plug tosaid functional electrical assembly and wherein said pin terminates atsaid functional electrical assembly.
 10. A wiring system comprising: atleast one junction connector having a body defining a plug, a socket forreceiving a functional electrical assembly and at least one cableoutlet; a plurality of pins extending from said plug to said at leastone cable outlet, and wherein at least one of said plurality of pins isin electrical communication with said functional electrical assembly;and further including a pass-through connector having a plurality ofcavities for receiving a plurality of wires and wherein saidpass-through connector is in electrical communication with said junctionsocket and wherein said pass-through connector includes a pin extendingbetween at least two of said plurality of cavities and wherein at leasttwo of said pins are in electrical communication with a functionalelectrical assembly coupled to said pass-through connector.
 11. A wiringsystem comprising: at least one pass-through connector having a bodywith a first cable seal area having at least three cavities configuredto receive wires and a socket for receiving a functional electricalassembly; a first pin extending from a first cavity selected from saidat least three cavities through said body and to a second cavityselected from said at least three cavities, and wherein said first pinis in electrical communication with said functional electrical assembly;and a second pin extending from a third cavity selected from said atleast three cavities and to said functional electrical assembly andwherein said first pin is a ground pin and said second pin is inelectrical communication with said functional electrical assembly andcommunicates a functional signal.
 12. The wiring system of claim 11further including a second pass-through connector and wherein saidsecond pass-through connector includes a body a cable seal area with atleast three cavities configured to receive wires and a socket forreceiving a functional electrical assembly and wherein one of said wiresis in electrical communication is in electrical communication with saidfirst pin and in communication with a third pin which passes from afirst cavity on said second pass-through connector to a third cavity andis in electrical communication with a functional assembly on said secondpass-through connector.